At tip-off of a recent Charlotte Bobcats game, it was easier to take note of who wasn't in attendance than who was. The arena was maybe one-third full and the owner's box was empty.

As play began, a few more fans found their seats, but there would be no owner sighting. Michael Jordan likes watching on television, but on this night, he wasn't even in town. Instead, Jordan was in Las Vegas, at the Aria Resort and Casino, hosting a celebrity golf tournament with Ashton Kutcher serving as his caddy.

The game's greatest player has become one of its most curious owners, a fanatical competitor who can't field a competitive team. At 49, he is the most recognizable part of the franchise, but the basketball world questions how active he wants to be as an executive, much as it did during his time with the Wizards in Washington.

"The work he put in to be a great player and the work you put in to be a great executive, those are different things," said Sam Vincent, whom Jordan hired as his head coach in 2007 less than a year after he became minority owner. "That additional time you spend on jump shots, running, dunking, I don't know if he puts in that same amount of time as an executive or if he even cares to."

"The work he put in to be a great player and the work you put in to be a great executive, those are different things," said Sam Vincent, whom Jordan hired as his head coach in 2007 less than a year after he became minority owner. "That additional time you spend on jump shots, running, dunking, I don't know if he puts in that same amount of time as an executive or if he even cares to."